S Is For Survival
by RkieFan
Summary: While on a trip to San Antonio with Mike, Willie and Terry, Jill is attacked and almost killed.


DISCLAIMER: The characters are the property of Spelling/Goldberg Productions and Viacom Entertainment. No copyright infringement is intended.  
  
TITLE: S IS FOR SURVIVAL  
  
RATING: R for sexual content and violence.  
  
SETTING: First season, after the pilot, but before "To Taste Of Terror".  
  
SUMMARY: During a trip to San Antonio with Mike and the guys, Jill is attacked and left for dead.  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm a native of San Antonio, Texas. I decided to base this story in my hometown, since it's one of only two places I know well. All of the places mentioned in this story are real. This continues the alphabet series and also continues a tradition that I write best about, Jill being in jeopardy. Thanks, Bridget. for beta reading for me, as always. I also want to thank Chuck's sister-in-law, Gina, for loaning me her big book of medical knowledge.  
  
The song 'The Boxer' was written by Paul Simon and is on 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' CD.   
  
PART ONE  
  
It was a warm June day. Mike, Willie and Terry had just changed into their uniforms and were on their way to Roll Call when they were stopped by Lt. Ryker.  
  
"Danko, Gillis, Webster! Just the three people I was looking for," Ryker exclaimed cheerfully, walking up to the three men.  
  
They exchanged a suspicious look.  
  
"Is something wrong, sir?" Mike ventured cautiously.   
  
"Did I say anything was wrong, Danko?" Ryker asked innocently. "I need to see you three in my office before Roll Call."   
  
Mike, Willie and Terry exchanged a nervous look before Mike shrugged his shoulders, giving in to the inevitable. They all walked to Ryker's office together, Ryker in the lead.   
  
"I received a call this morning from Chief Daniels of the San Antonio Police Department," Ryker explained, sitting in his chair and motioning for one of them to close the door. "He was reading about our new program in the Police Gazette and wanted to know more about it. He wanted a group of the new cadets to explain to his officers how the program works. I immediately thought of you three," he looked at them expectantly.  
  
"We'd be glad to explain how the program works. Is Chief Daniels going to be coming here?" Mike asked.  
  
"Negative, Danko," Ryker answered. "I was thinking of sending the three of you to San Antonio for two weeks. Chief Daniels's even offered to put up in a first class hotel while you're there."   
  
"Sir, isn't that in Texas?" Willie asked in horror.   
  
"Unless they've moved the city, Gillis, yes, it is," Ryker replied, rolling his eyes at Gillis' exaggerated behavior. "What's wrong with Texas, Gillis? It's a beautiful state with a lot of history. I've heard that San Antonio, in particular, is a very beautiful city."   
  
"It is," Mike mumbled.  
  
"Excuse me, Danko? Did you say something?" Ryker prompted.  
  
"I was just agreeing, sir. I was stationed there for a short time in the late sixties," Mike explained reluctantly. "Sir, excuse me for stepping out of place here, but my wife isn't going to be too happy being left alone for two weeks."   
  
"So, take her with you," Ryker answered authoritatively. "Now, if there are no more complaints, Roll Call starts in about five minutes. I'll see you there," Ryker dismissed, pointing to his door and indicating that the discussion was over.  
  
Willie was the first to speak when they took their seats in the turnout room. "I've never flown before," Willie mumbled softly.  
  
"What?" Terry asked him, leaning in closer as he could barely hear his partner.  
  
"I said I've never flown before," Willie repeated in a slightly louder voice. "The only place I've ever been besides here is my hometown in Ohio."   
  
"It'll be great," Mike assured him.  
  
"That's easy for you to say," Willie groaned morosely. "You've got a million miles in the air."   
  
  
  
Jill woke up early the next morning shortly before the alarm went off. She glanced over at Mike sleeping peacefully on his left side besides her. She hadn't even heard him come in the night before. Usually he woke her up when he got home. She moved closer to him and cuddled up to him. He still didn't move so Jill trailed her fingers down his side. He mumbled and waved her hand away. Jill smiled as she continued trailing her fingers down his side.   
  
He finally rolled over and regarded his wife with sleepy blue-green eyes. "What are you doing?"  
  
"Waiting for you to wake up," she answered, eyes twinkling. "Why didn't you wake me up last night?" She snuggled closer to him and kissed him.  
  
"Because I didn't get home until very late. I need to talk to you before you distract me," he said, reluctantly pulling from her embrace.  
  
"What's wrong?" Jill asked anxiously, propping herself up on one elbow.  
  
"Nothing's wrong," he reassured her quickly. "Terry, Willie and I have been 'ordered' to go San Antonio to explain the new program to their police department. We'll be gone for two weeks."  
  
"Two weeks?" Jill repeated unhappily.  
  
" I want you to come with me," Mike continued, smiling at her.  
  
"Come with you?" She repeated in surprise. "Is Lt. Ryker okay with this?"  
  
"He said it was all right. I guess he wants me to be happy," Mike grinned, pulling her back into his arms.  
  
"Are you going to have time for me or am I going to be on my own for the entire time?" She asked suspiciously.  
  
"I'll make time for you. San Antonio is a beautiful place. You'll love it," he whispered as he kissed her.  
  
"There's just one problem," she said.  
  
"Just one? What is it?" He asked distractedly as he started nibbling her neck.  
  
"I've never been on a plane before," she confessed.  
  
"Then we'll just put you beside Willie. He's never been on a plane before either," Mike stated confidently, running his hands down Jill's body.  
  
"I don't want to sit beside Willie!" She protested, pulling away and slapping playfully at him.  
  
"You'll be able to go, won't you? I mean, Meggy or the other powers-that-be won't give you a hard time about taking two weeks off from work? I really want you to come with me," Mike murmured as he continued kissing and caressing her.  
  
"I'll take care of it," she promised, closing her eyes in ecstasy, giving in to the sensations Mike was creating in her body as he slowly removed her gown.  
  
  
PART TWO  
  
The guys and Jill were sitting at the terminal gate at LAX waiting for their plane to take off. Jill had an iron clad grip on Mike's fingers and wasn't about to let go.   
  
"Babe, it's going to be fine," Mike reassured her with a slight smile. "It's a relatively short trip. We should be landing in San Antonio in about two hours."   
  
"You call two hours a short trip?" She asked in a panic-stricken voice.  
  
"Babe, I did three tours of duty in Vietnam," he reminded her as he started leafing through a magazine. "I consider anything less than eight hours a short trip."   
  
"Just watch for Dean Martin running down the aisle with a briefcase," Terry deadpanned, fighting a smile as Jill and Willie both glared at him.   
  
"That isn't funny, Terry," Jill hissed, giving him a dirty look.  
  
"Indeed it isn't, Webster," Lt. Ryker agreed as he walked up behind them.  
  
"Lieutenant, what're you doing here?" Terry asked in surprise. "Did you come to see us off?"  
  
"No, I didn't come to see you off, Webster," Ryker answered, rolling his eyes. "I couldn't very well send the three of you off to a strange city to explain our program by yourselves and since Neil Montgomery wasn't available to make the trip I was 'volunteered' for it."   
  
There wasn't time for any further conversation as their flight was called. Mike picked up their carry-on bag and clasped Jill's hand tightly in reassurance as they walked onto the plane. He sat down beside her as soon as he stashed their bag in the overhead bin.   
  
"Mike, how wasted am I going to have to get to enjoy this flight?" She asked apprehensively as she watched the baggage handlers load their plane from her seat at the window.   
  
"Would you trust me?" Mike chided in a gentle voice, kissing her hand. "Everything's going to be fine."   
  
She gave him a weak smile as he squeezed her fingers in his. They both looked over as Lt. Ryker stashed his bag in the overhead bin and sat down in the aisle seat on the other side of Mike. Jill looked at him and rolled her eyes. 'This is going to be a great trip,' she thought to herself sarcastically. She had a feeling that with Lt. Ryker along, she was never going to have one minute alone with her husband. She hadn't known the older cop very long, but what she did know about him was he was strictly by-the-book.  
  
Lt. Ryker looked over at Jill and smiled. "You've never been on a plane before, Mrs. Danko?"   
  
"No, sir," Jill answered in a quivering voice.  
  
Willie wisely kept silent, knowing that he'd never hear the end of it if his supervisor knew he'd never flown either. He just hoped he didn't embarrass himself too much on the flight.  
  
"It's not so bad once you get used to it. You'll barely notice anything once we take off," he assured her.  
  
"That's what worries me," Jill admitted. "Taking off."   
  
Jill and Willie both jumped as the pilot made the announcement regarding take-off. Mike thought that the both of them were going to start taking notes as the flight attendants demonstrated the flight procedures. Jill held Mike's hand in a death grip as the plane taxied down the runway and lifted off the ground. But once the plane reached altitude she relaxed.  
  
"See? That wasn't so bad, was it?" Mike asked her as he kissed the top of her head.  
  
"Are your fingers broken?" She asked him, blushing slightly.  
  
"No, I think they're okay," he replied, wiggling them rapidly.  
  
  
  
Once they landed in San Antonio they were met at the gate by two police officers. One was tall with graying brown hair and the other was a younger, Hispanic officer.   
  
"Lieutenant?" The older man guessed, approaching them and extending his hand in a friendly manner. "I'm Chief Daniels. Welcome to San Antonio. This is Officer Richard Garza. We brought two vehicles to transport you to your hotel. We thought it'd be more comfortable traveling that way."  
  
"Thank you for having us, Chief," Ryker replied, shaking Chief Daniels hand. "These are three of my officers. Officers Terry Webster, Willie Gillis and Mike Danko and this is Officer Danko's wife, Jill."   
  
"I hope our police department can learn something from your program. Come on, let's get your bags and we'll get you downtown," Chief Daniels stated, leading the way to the baggage claim area.   
  
It took about 15 minutes to get their bags. After collecting everything, they walked out of the exit into a heat that instantly took their breaths away.   
  
"My God, I haven't felt anything like this since Vietnam!" Mike groaned, already starting to sweat.  
  
"Yeah, the heat and humidity are a little hard to take if you're not used to it," Officer Garza explained. "It cools off for about a week in November."  
  
"Lieutenant, you can ride with me while Officer Garza takes your officers and Mrs. Danko. Our cars are just up ahead," Chief Daniels said.  
  
Jill was glad to see that they weren't going to be riding in a squad car, something that always made her a little nervous. Officer Garza opened the trunk of his late model LTD so the guys could put their bags in. Willie rode up front with Officer Garza, while Terry, Mike and Jill got in the back seat. Officer Garza paid the parking lot attendant as they left the lot and headed toward the freeway.  
  
"I was thinking that we could give you and your people the weekend to sight see, " Chief Daniels began once they were alone. "Then the first thing Monday morning I can send a car over to bring you to the main police station where you and your men can explain the program. After that you're more than welcome to join some of my men for a ride along tour of the city if you'd like. How does that sound to you?"  
  
"That sounds fine," Ryker agreed. "Officer Danko mentioned that he was stationed here for a brief time in the late 60's."  
  
"Army or Air Force?" Daniels inquired.  
  
"Army."  
  
"Yeah, that would be Ft. Sam Houston. We also have three Air Force bases," Daniels explained as he drove toward downtown.  
  
  
  
Officer Garza was quiet for the most part as he drove toward downtown.   
  
"Excuse me, Officer Garza. But what's that?" Jill asked curiously, pointing towards a tall thin structure they were passing.  
  
"That's the Tower Of The Americas. It was built in 1968 for the World's Fair. There's a revolving restaurant at the top of it. Not great food but the atmosphere's nice," he explained.  
  
Officer Garza exited off the freeway and entered downtown. "Chief Daniels has made reservations for all of you at the Palacio Del Rio. It's on the Riverwalk and it's a beautiful hotel. It was also built for the World's Fair in 1968. As a matter of fact it was completed in a record 202 days."  
  
"How'd they manage that?" Willie asked in amazement.  
  
"They used precast concrete modules. The rooms were already completed and furnished and they just hoisted them into a steel frame," he explained with obvious pride. Officer Garza pulled up in the valet parking area of a huge white hotel. Chief Daniels and Lt. Ryker had arrived shortly before they had. Jill, Willie and Terry were looking around in awe as Mike and Garza unloaded the bags from the trunk and put them on a cart. Mike came over and took Jill's hand as they walked into the hotel.  
  
They were signing in when Jill got the uneasy feeling that she was being watched. She turned around to find one of the bellhops watching her intently. She gripped Mike's hand tighter as they headed toward the elevator.  
  
"George!" The bellhop turned toward the sound of his name, startled out of his reverie. "Take these bags upstairs to Rooms 1217, 1218 and 1220."  
  
"Yes, sir," George took the cart and followed the guys and their escorts to the elevator. He kept watching Jill as the elevator made its ascent upstairs. He'd known she'd show her face sooner or later. He'd almost counted on it. Well, she'd pay this time, that was for damned sure.  
  
Once upstairs George unlocked the door to Ryker's room first and unloaded his bags before taking bags to Willie and Terry's room and finally, Mike and Jill's. Mike tipped him as Jill hurried over to the window to look out at the view. It faced a river that seemed to flow through the middle of the street. On either side of the street, there were restaurants and shops. George gave her one final quick glance before he left.  
  
She jumped as Mike walked over and put his arms around her waist. "Mike, this is beautiful," she smiled, melting into his embrace. "Hey, don't start something you're not going to be able to finish."  
  
"I never start anything I can't finish," he corrected her huskily, running his hands down her sides.  
  
"Well, I hate to tell you this, but you might have to this time, because I have a feeling that Lt. Ryker's going to be interrupting us pretty soon."   
  
"Ryker's busy with Chief Daniels and the very quiet Officer Garza. Besides, if he shows up I'll just ignore his knock at the door," he informed her as he started nibbling on her ear lobe.   
  
Jill was about to say something else when she heard a knock at the door. She gently but firmly pulled away from Mike to answer the door. Terry, Willie and Officer Garza were standing there. "Oh, look, it's the Three Musketeers," she said sarcastically.  
  
"Hey, Mike? Richard was wondering if you guys were hungry. He said he knows a great place for Mexican food. He was going to call a couple of his buddies and have them meet us there," Willie suggested, glancing at Jill uncertainly.  
  
Mike took a deep breath and cleared his mind of what he wanted to say. Sure, he was hungry...but for time alone with his wife. He looked over at Jill, who just smiled at him. "What do you say, babe? Mexican food sound good to you?" Mike asked.  
  
"Sounds wonderful," Jill agreed.  
  
"Okay, let me call my buddies and then I'll come back and pick you guys up," Richard decided.  
  
"I've got a better idea. Write down the address and we'll meet you there. I think I'm going to see about renting a car," Mike told him.  
  
"You don't know your way around San Antonio," Richard patiently explained.  
  
"I know, but I was stationed here for a while in the sixties. Besides, I'm married to a born navigator," Mike grinned. "Anyway, I'm a cop. We're trained to read maps."  
  
"More like a born wanderer," Terry interjected.  
  
"Never mind that. I'm going to go downstairs and see about renting a car. Richard, write down the address and we'll find it," Mike said.  
  
"Okay. Is 6 o'clock all right with everybody?" Richard asked.  
  
"Six is fine. What's the name of the restaurant, so we'll know we've got the right place?" Mike asked.  
  
"It's called Mi Tierra. It's in Market Square. You can't miss it. There are signs directing you to Market Square all over downtown," Richard said, waving as he walked out the door.  
  
George was at the front desk when Mike came down to the lobby. He was wondering what she was doing with this loser. He knew he had to find a way to get her alone and when he did she was going to pay with her life. How dare any woman walk out on George Taylor?! He did the walking, not the woman. He reached into his pocket and felt the hunting knife he always carried. He watched as Mike walked back to the elevator and went back upstairs.  
  
  
  
Mike and Jill found the restaurant without too much trouble. Richard had been right, there were signs all over downtown. When they walked in Richard saw them and waved them over. He was at a long table with two other men and three women.  
  
"Officers Jack Griffith and Tony Aguilar, I'd like you to meet Officers Mike Danko, Willie Gillis and Terry Webster of the SCPD. Please have a seat. I've ordered a couple of pitchers of margaritas. Mi Tierra is famous for them," Richard concluded, indicating that they were to sit down.  
  
Jill sat down between Mike and the three women. She wondered if Richard had deliberately neglected to introduce them or her for that matter. She smiled at the woman sitting nearest to her. "Hi, I'm Jill Danko. Mike's wife."  
  
"I'm Tammy Griffith. This is Sara Aguilar and Maria Garza," Tammy smiled as she introduced the other two women. Tammy was tall and blonde, whereas the other two women were dark with beautiful long dark hair.  
  
After a few pitchers of margaritas the group at the table loosened up. The guys all told stories of their respective superior officers while the women talked among themselves.  
  
"How do you like being the wife of a cop, Jill?" Tammy asked curiously.  
  
"It's okay, I guess. I think I'm still getting used to it," Jill chuckled.  
  
"I'm Jack's second wife. Number one was married to him when he was a soldier. She drew the line when he became a cop," Tammy sighed, as she drained her margarita and immediately poured another.  
  
Jill noticed that the other two women didn't say much and when they did, they both seemed to look to their husbands for permission. It reminded Jill of when she'd lived with Cleve and she didn't like it then and she definitely didn't like seeing it now in someone else.  
  
  
  
They left the restaurant shortly after midnight and went back to the hotel. When they walked into their room, Mike put the 'Do Not Disturb' sign on the outside of their door and closed it, putting the safety chain in place as well as the regular lock. Jill came out of the bathroom and smiled at the look in Mike's eyes. He walked over to her and pulled her into his arms. "Alone at last," he sighed , gently nibbling on her bottom lip. "And, to think, I only have 47 more states to go."  
  
"47 states? What are you talking about?" She asked distractedly, returning his hungry kisses.  
  
"Well, we've made love in Alabama, California and now Texas. That leaves 47 states," he continued kissing her and touching her as he walked her back toward the bed.  
  
"I've never made love in a hotel before. Do you think we could use both beds?" She smiled at him mischievously. "And the shower?"  
  
"Oh, I'm sure we can put both beds to good use. As for the shower, we could put it to good use right now," he agreed as he began kissing her neck.  
  
"You take your shower first. You always take longer than I do," she sighed.  
  
"You could always join me," he suggested, kissing her.  
  
"If I join you, we'll never leave the bathroom," she reluctantly pulled away from him and shoved him toward the bathroom. "Go!"  
  
  
Mike was lying in bed idly flipping channels on the TV when Jill finally emerged from the bathroom, her hair wrapped in a towel and wearing one of Mike's t-shirts as a nightshirt. Mike grinned at her as she joined him in bed.  
  
"You look cute wearing my shirt," he said as he pulled her close.  
  
"It's too hot for a long gown," she explained.  
  
He removed the towel from her long dark hair and watched as it tumbled over her shoulders. Jill sighed as Mike began kissing her as he let his fingers gently wander under her nightshirt. She pressed herself closer to him as his fingers brushed over her breasts. She kissed his neck as she ran her hands down his back, enjoying the way the muscles rippled at her touch. She smiled as she heard him groan in pleasure, loving the feeling of power she had over him.  
  
Mike pulled back so he could look at Jill. Her eyes were dark with passion as she ran one hand down his face. She pulled him back down so they could share more hungry, passionate kisses. Now, it was her turn to moan into his mouth as his thumb brushed over her erect nipple. He pulled her nightshirt over her head and tossed it to the floor as he bent to tease her breasts with his lips and tongue. She arched her back and cried out as he lightly trailed his fingers down her bare leg. He moved back up and traced her lower lip with his tongue before reclaiming her mouth with his own. She could feel him, hard and insistent, against her bare leg. She placed her hand inside the waistband of his boxer shorts and caressed him until he begged her to stop. She helped him remove his t-shirt and shorts and they tossed them to the floor beside her discarded nightshirt.  
  
"I love you, Mike," she whispered as he continued caressing her, setting her senses on fire.  
  
"I love you, too," he whispered back as he tenderly kissed her.  
  
She gasped as their bodies became one. Mike kissed her neck and throat as he slowly thrust into her. Jill lightly ran her fingers down his back and clutched him tighter as her senses began reeling. She wrapped her legs tighter around him as she moved against him, meeting him thrust for thrust. She could feel her climax rapidly approaching and as usual was torn between welcoming it and never wanting the wonderful feelings Mike invoked in her to end. She would've screamed out if Mike hadn't covered her mouth with his own as her climax came over her, making her feel like a thousand 4th of July fireworks going off inside of her. She clutched Mike to her even tighter as she felt him climax as well. Her legs were still trembling as she slowly brought them down.  
  
Mike looked down at her as his breathing slowly returned to normal. He brushed her sweat soaked hair away her face as he bent down to kiss her. He finally rolled over to his side and pulled her close to him, even though he knew she wouldn't stay. As soon as she knew he was asleep, she would move out of his arms to the other side of the bed. His warm breath tickled her neck as he continued languidly stroking her hip.  
  
She snuggled closer to him, feeling sleepy and very secure. Mike wrapped his arms around her, kissing her on the neck and shoulder. He heard her breathing even out as she slipped off to sleep. He then closed his eyed and fell asleep, as well.  
  
  
  
They were eating breakfast the next morning in the coffee shop when Terry and Willie walked up to the table. Mike pointed to the two empty chairs across from them.  
  
"So, how'd you two sleep? Or, I should be asking, did you sleep?" Terry teased as he sat in one of the empty chairs. "The 'Do Not Disturb' sign was a clever touch."  
  
"I thought you might like that," Mike grinned.  
  
"So, what's on the agenda for today? We're free men until Monday," Willie said, pouring a cup of coffee from the pot on the table and reaching for the sugar.  
  
"I'm taking milady on a walking tour of downtown," Mike answered , squeezing Jill's hand.  
  
"So, is this a personal tour or are friends invited to tag along?" Terry asked knowingly.  
  
"Well, I was really hoping to make it a personal tour, but if you want to tag along I can't stop you," Mike answered, pouring another cup of coffee.  
  
"Okay, we get the message," Terry chuckled, looking at the menu as the waitress walked over. "Can we at least have dinner together tonight...the four of us? No chauvinistic San Antonio cops and their wives?"  
  
"I'm glad I'm not the only one who noticed that," Jill answered.  
  
"Jill and I can scout places while we're out today," Mike agreed.  
  
"Why don't we just go back to Mi Tierra? The food was good and it's not priced sky high," Willie suggested.  
  
"Whadda ya think, babe?" Mike asked, looking at Jill who nodded her assent.  
  
"Okay, then after breakfast we'll go our separate ways and meet back here at around 5 or so," Willie stated.  
  
"Sounds like a plan," Mike said.  
  
After breakfast Mike and Jill left the hotel to go on a walking tour around the downtown area. George was at the desk, watching Jill intently as she left with Mike. He knew that sooner or later she was going to have to go somewhere without her escort. And when she did, George would make her sorry she was ever born.  
  
  
Mike was pleased that most of the tourist hot spots were in walking distance of the hotel. They walked around the Alamo before heading over to Hemisfair Plaza. It took some serious coaxing but Mike convinced Jill to go up to the top of the tower with him. The view was spectacular. Jill gulped as she looked down over the top from the observation deck.  
  
"You know, they say it's not the fall that kills you-" he started.  
  
"It's the sudden stop at the bottom," she concluded, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, I know. Can we please go back down to ground level?" she pleaded with him.  
  
"Yeah, we'll go. Besides, we have to head back to the hotel if we're going to meet the guys by five," he said, glancing at his watch.  
  
The four of them got a table in one of the far corners of the restaurant. The guys all ordered beers while Jill ordered iced tea.   
  
"So, what do you guys think of San Antonio?" Mike asked curiously.  
  
"Well, it's okay, but give me Los Angeles anytime. They were telling us that every March, they dye the river green for St. Patrick's Day. Like it needs any tint," Willie commented, eating some tortilla chips and salsa.  
  
"Yeah, and Mike, you would hate it. The nearest beach is over two hours away," Terry continued.  
  
"I'd like to propose a toast. To the two weeks we're here. May they pass quickly," Mike said, raising his beer mug.  
  
"Here, here," the two guys and Jill chimed in.  
  
Mike and Jill were lying in bed later that evening watching the evening news. Mike was idly stroking Jill's arm as she snuggled close to him.  
  
"Babe, I want you to do me a favor," he said, breathing in the clean scent of her hair.  
  
"What?" She asked, looking up at him.  
  
"When I leave Monday for this seminar, I don't want you wandering around downtown alone. I should be home by four, then we'll do something together," he told her.  
  
"Oh, come on, Mike. I'll be all right," she protested.  
  
"Jill, you don't know this town like you do L.A. I know it's mostly tourists, but you don't know what other kind of crazies are hanging around out there. I mean it. I know you feel like you're going to be stuck here in this room, but if you're out there, I'm going to worry about you," he explained seriously, kissing the top of her head.  
  
"Mike, just don't make me regret making the trip with you. I mean, I'm having a great time right now and I don't want that to change," she said, looking at him.  
  
"You won't regret the trip, I promise. I love you," he said, kissing her again.  
  
PART THREE  
  
Mike woke up early Monday morning. He stretched lazily and looked over at Jill, curled up on the other side of the bed. He moved over and wrapped his arms around her, kissing her lightly on the back of her neck. She murmured sleepily and rolled over to face him.  
  
"Good mornin'," he murmured as he kissed her tenderly on the lips.  
  
"Mornin'," she replied, running her hand down his face. "You know, I don't think we've made love so often since we first got married."   
  
"I know. It's great, isn't it?" He smiled as he kissed her more passionately.  
  
  
  
Jill remained in bed after Mike left with the guys just after seven o'clock. She thought about what he had told her about staying in the hotel. She hated it when he treated her like a child. She went into the bathroom to take a shower. She figured if she left the hotel for a couple of hours, Mike would never know. She'd just stick with the streets near the hotel.  
  
George was at the front desk when he saw Jill step off of the elevator just after 9:30. He noticed she was alone and she was heading out, probably to do some sight seeing.  
  
"David, I'll be back in a little while," he shouted at one of his co-workers as he headed out the exit door. He looked left and right before he finally spotted Jill heading toward the stairs leading to the street level. He ran up until he finally was just abreast of her.  
  
"Hi," he greeted in a friendly voice as she headed toward the stairs leading to the street.  
  
"Hi," she said, trying not to act as nervous as she suddenly felt. She'd seen this particular man watching her the day they checked into the hotel.  
  
"Can you do me a favor and come with me?" He pleaded.  
  
"I don't think so," she answered shortly, trying not to show how frightened she was.  
  
In the blink of an eye, she felt a sharp point against her ribs and glanced down, spying a knife pointed towards her.   
  
"Please. Don't make me hurt anybody else," he pleaded, forcing her toward the stairs.  
  
They walked to the parking garage where he forced her into a beat up VW, much like the beetle Jill had driven when she first met Mike. "Why are you doing this?" She finally managed to say.  
  
"Why? Because you walked out on me! No woman walks out on me!" He yelled as he drove seemingly aimlessly through the downtown streets.  
  
"What are you talking about? I don't even know you," she said.  
  
"How can you say that? After everything we had together!" George shouted. "Just shut up and stop trying to confuse me!" He finally stopped at what looked like an overgrown park in a particularly rough area of downtown. When he put the car in park and shut off the engine Jill took the opportunity to try to run for help. She ran screaming through the dense overgrowth. When George finally caught her he was crazed with anger. He pulled out the hunting knife and began slashing at Jill with it. She felt the sharp blade cutting her hands and her arms as she tried to keep him from stabbing her with it. After what seemed like an eternity, he knocked her to the ground.   
  
Jill tried again to fight him off, but she was exhausted and bleeding badly. He was able to overpower her. She screamed once more as she felt the blade enter her lower abdomen. George stood up, shaking and covered with blood and sweat. He knew that people in this area were used to hearing screams and didn't respond, but he didn't want to take any chances. He went back to his car and left as quickly as he could.  
  
Jill tried to get to her feet, but the pain and blood loss made that impossible. Her last conscious thought was of Mike.  
  
  
  
Two little boys were on a hunt for pop bottles. The creek was a good place to find them. Sometimes, if they were lucky, they found other treasures as well. What they weren't counting on finding was a body. The older of the two boys prodded at Jill with his foot. They both jumped back as she moaned.  
  
"What do we do?" The younger boy asked fearfully.  
  
"Go tell mom! She'll know what to do!" He directed his brother.  
  
Within minutes the air was filled with the sound of sirens, police and ambulance. The ambulance attendants strapped Jill to a gurney and raced toward the ambulance with her.  
  
  
  
Baptist Hospital's emergency room staff sprung into action when they heard the ambulance screech to a halt in the entrance. The two attendants raced in with the gurney bearing Jill. One of the men began shouting as they ran toward a treatment room. "Unidentified female, early to mid-20's, stab wound to the lower right side, severe lacerations to both hands and forearms. There's rebounding and tenderness at the site. BP is 70 over 40, respirations are shallow."  
  
"Get her into two," the on-call doctor ordered. "Did she have any identification?"  
  
"The police have sealed off the crime scene. I'm sure if they find anything, they'll bring it up here," the paramedic said.  
  
"Okay. Let's drop an NG tube, hang two units of O Negative, start a central line and an IV with Ringer's. Let's also get a urinalysis, get her hemoglobin and crit levels, a CBC, and get the portable x-ray down here. Also, call surgery for a consult!" The doctor was talking almost faster than the staff could comply. He took a pin light and shined it in Jill's eyes. She groaned and tried to turn away from the light. "Hello! Can you hear me? You're in the hospital! My name is Dr. Phillippi. Can you tell me your name?"  
  
The x-ray technician came in to take x-rays of Jill. He then raced out of the room after instructions from the doctor to rush the x-rays.  
  
Jill tried to focus past the pain. She had to let him know who she was. She had to tell him to call Mike. "Jill," she whispered hoarsely.  
  
"Okay, Jill. We're going to take care of you," he assured her as a resident came over to insert the NG tube through her nose.  
  
Jill gagged as she felt the tube in the back of her throat. "My husband," she whispered, fighting the urge to throw up.  
  
"If you give me his name and phone number I can have somebody call him and come up here," Dr. Phillippi told her.  
  
"We're...from out of town. Staying at the Palacio...the Palacio," Jill continued to choke.  
  
"The Palacio Del Rio. What's your husband's name?" Dr. Phillippi said, instructing a nurse to take down the information.  
  
"Michael...Mike Danko. He's not there right now. He's going to be...so mad at me," she whispered as she started to cry.  
  
"We'll get word to him. You relax and let us take care of you. The police are going to be here soon to ask you some questions. But we need to assess you first and possibly prep you for surgery. Are you allergic to any medications?" He asked, preparing a chart.  
  
"No. I'm a nurse. I think I have a lacerated liver. My right shoulder hurts a lot. Can I get something for pain?" She asked, trying to focus on the doctor.  
  
"Why don't you let me be the doctor and you be the patient? I'm going to listen to your chest and abdomen, so be quiet," he instructed her.  
  
A few minutes later, the on-call surgical resident came into the room. "What do you have?" He barked.  
  
"Female, early to mid 20's, stab wound to lower right quadrant. Rebounding and tenderness at site," the doctor explained.  
  
  
"Okay, let's prep her for a peritoneal lavage. Have her x-rays come back yet?" the resident asked.  
  
"No, let me get on the lab," the doctor said, picking up the phone. "Yeah, this is Phillippi in exam room two! Where are the x-rays on my patient?"  
  
At that moment, the technician came running back in with the x-rays. Dr. Phillippi held them up toward the light before putting them on the viewer.  
  
"Lavage is positive for internal bleeding," the resident said, glancing at the x-ray viewer. "Looks like a lacerated liver. Okay, people! Let's get her upstairs!"  
  
  
  
After leaving Jill in the woods, George had driven back toward the hotel. He looked down in distaste at his blood-soaked uniform. He knew someone would see it and ask questions, so he drove toward his house. He glanced anxiously at the passenger side of the car and noticed Jill's purse lying in the floor. He figured he could dump it when he got back to the hotel.  
  
He got back to the hotel about 20 minutes later. One of his co-workers ran up to him.  
  
"George, where've you been? Paul's been looking all over for you!" The man hissed.  
  
"I told you I was coming back. I guess I'll get back to work," George said, going to the desk.  
  
  
  
Mike, Willie and Terry were having their own version of a very bad day. It seemed that the whole San Antonio Police Department were as skeptical about the program Neil Montgomery had started as Ryker was at first. They were sitting in front of a room full of cops, both young and older ones.  
  
"Lt. Ryker, why don't you explain something about the program to my men," Chief Daniels suggested.  
  
"We recruited younger men to deal with the younger generation, the ones who, unlike our generation, tend to treat cops like the enemy. A lot of these younger people come from homes where they feel nobody listens to them or cares about them. We try to convince these people that there is somebody out there who cares about them," Ryker explained.  
  
"What about the gangs? San Antonio has several known gangs. The police can't deal with them!" One of the cops shouted.  
  
"Can I answer that, sir?" Terry asked.  
  
"Go ahead, Webster," Ryker agreed.  
  
"We also have several well known gangs," Terry explained patiently. "We've had some success in arranging meets between the police and the gangs...getting to know each other. We've played basketball against them. In fact, this program is quite popular, especially when they beat us," Terry concluded with a grin.  
  
"So you expect us to get together for basketball games?" An old-timer sneered.  
  
"Not necessarily," Terry continued. "What I'm saying is there are ways to get through to these kids. When you establish some rapport, you'll get more cooperation on illegal activities because they know you aren't going to sell them out."  
  
  
  
The doctor had called the hospital and had them ring Mike's room, but there was no answer, so he told them to take a message and to make sure he got it as soon as possible.  
  
When the three guys walked into the hotel with Lt. Ryker that afternoon, they were laughing as they got on the elevator. The desk clerk tried to stop Mike but he was too late.  
  
"Terry, we should make you the spokesman all the time," Mike chuckled, slapping his friend on the back.  
  
"Yeah, they were all pretty negative at first, but they changed their tune after Terry got done with them," Willie agreed.  
  
"Well, I wouldn't say they changed their tune, Gillis, but they were definitely more open to suggestion," Ryker continued.  
  
When they got off of the elevator on their floor, Mike reached into his pocket for his key. As soon as he walked into the room, he knew something was wrong. Jill was nowhere to be seen. He was about to go sound the red alert when the phone rang. Mike snatched it up. "Hello?" Mike almost shouted into the phone.  
  
"Mr. Danko, this is Mr. Rawlings at the front desk. I've got several messages here at the front desk for you," the manager said.  
  
"I'll be right down!" Mike slammed the phone down and ran for the door. He pounded on Willie and Terry's door. Willie answered it. "Jill's missing and the desk clerk just called saying he has messages for me."  
  
"Maybe it's not about Jill," Willie calmly said, hoping to counteract his friend's rising hysteria.  
  
"Maybe, but I wouldn't bet on it," Mike said, running for the elevator.  
  
By the time Willie, Terry and Ryker arrived downstairs, Mike had already read the messages. He was pale and shaking as he slowly handed them to Ryker, who showed them to Willie and Terry.  
  
"I told her not to leave the hotel!" Mike groaned, running a hand through his hair.  
  
"Let's find this hospital and we'll see what's going on, Danko. She'll be okay," Ryker said in a subdued voice.  
  
They got directions to the hospital and went over there. Mike went running up to the information desk. "I received a message that my wife was here. Her name is Jill Danko!"  
  
"Hold on, I'll go get Dr. Phillippi," the nurse offered as she walked off.  
  
Mike was pacing back and forth when the doctor came up to him.  
  
"Mr. Danko, I'm Dr. Phillippi. I took care of your wife when she was brought in. They've taken her up to the tenth floor to surgery," the doctor explained.  
  
"Wait! What happened to her?" Mike asked frantically.  
  
Dr. Phillippi looked over to where the other three men were expectantly waiting. He decided to take Mike off to one side where they could talk alone. "Your wife was found in Salado Creek. She had been stabbed multiple times and left there."  
  
"Did she say anything about who did this to her?" Mike asked.  
  
"No, she gave me your name and told me where you were staying. She was rushed up to surgery before she had a chance to talk to the police," the doctor answered.  
  
"You said the tenth floor, right?" Mike asked as the doctor nodded. "Thank you!"  
  
  
  
There were two surgeons working on Jill. One was working to sew up the laceration in her liver while the other one worked on sewing up her hands and forearms.  
  
Mike and the guys were waiting outside the surgical ward when members of the San Antonio Police Department walked up. One of them was Richard Garza.  
  
"What're you guys doing here?" Mike asked.  
  
"We heard about your wife. The detectives are questioning the staff at the hotel to see if anybody saw anything. We thought we'd come up here to see if there's anything we can do," Richard said.  
  
"Thanks, but she's still in surgery," Mike sighed. "Where's Salado Creek?"  
  
"Just north of the downtown area. Why?" Richard asked.  
  
"The doctor downstairs told me that's where she was found. That means somebody grabbed her, because she wouldn't go down there on her own," Mike answered.  
  
"Did anybody get a chance to talk to her?" Richard asked.  
  
"No, and I don't know where the cops are that followed the ambulance. The doctor said she had to be taken to surgery before she could talk to them, but they still should've stuck around! That's police procedure or I should say, it's police procedure in California!" Mike snapped.  
  
"Easy, Danko," Ryker cautioned him.  
  
"I don't know where those officers are, but I can find out," Richard volunteered.  
  
The doors at the end of the ward swung open and two doctors stepped out, wearing green surgical scrubs.  
  
"Mr. Danko?" One of the doctors asked as he removed his cap.  
  
"I'm Michael Danko," Mike said, standing up.  
  
"Let's go over here and talk," the doctor suggested, motioning Mike to the end of the hall. "I'm Dr. Mueller, the surgical resident, and this is Dr. Mendenhall. Your wife is out of surgery but she's far from out of danger. She was stabbed in the lower right abdomen. While the outer wound wasn't very large, when we got inside, we encountered a host of problems, the most major being a lacerated liver. The liver has the ability to regenerate itself, but we'll have to watch her closely for signs of infection and liver failure. She also suffered severe lacerations to both hands and forearms. Dr. Mendenhall was stitching her hands and arms up while I was operating. When she's more stable we'll check to see if there's any tendon or nerve damage. She's in recovery right now and we'll be moving her to ICU in about an hour. I'll let you know when we're moving her."  
  
"Thank you," Mike said wearily, overwhelmed with worry for his wife.  
  
  
  
They moved Jill to the ICU just over an hour later. They explained to Mike that they kept her in recovery a little longer to monitor her breathing. "We also had trouble getting her to respond to us," Dr. Mueller explained. "Now, we've got her on morphine for pain, so she's going to be pretty out of it. She also has an NG tube to remove excess air from the surgical site. It looks more frightening than it actually is. You can see her for 10 minutes every hour."  
  
"How long will she be in ICU?" Mike asked worriedly.  
  
"That's hard to say. At least 48 hours," Dr. Mueller said.  
  
The first time he was allowed to see Jill was difficult. She had all kinds of wires and tubes hooked up to her. Both hands and arms were heavily bandaged and propped up on pillows. Because of her bandaged hands, she had a central line going through a vein in her neck and an IV line going through the vein on one foot. The nurse explained to Mike that it was the only other place they could start an IV from. He sat down and fidgeted for a few minutes, not sure of what to do with his hands since he couldn't hold hers, so he settled for smoothing her hair back from her forehead.  
  
"Baby," he whispered in a hoarse voice. "You're going to be okay now. I love you."  
  
  
  
Meanwhile back at the hotel, police were talking to everybody in the hopes that somebody saw something. George saw this as his chance to shine. He had thrown Jill's purse in among some potted plants along the river. He slipped out and went to where he had thrown it. Making sure he wasn't observed, he picked up her purse and ran back into the hotel, holding it out in front of him.  
  
"I think I found something!" He shouted, holding the purse up by the strap.  
  
One of the police officers ran over and took the purse from George, using a pen to support the handle. "Where did you find this?" The officer demanded.  
  
"Just outside the hotel, near some plants," George explained breathlessly.  
  
"We'll send it to the lab and have it dusted for prints. This is a good find, Mr..." the officer stopped, looking at George.  
  
"Taylor, George Taylor. Hey, anything I can do to help. Can I go back to work now?" George asked.  
  
"Sure. If we have any more questions we know where to find you," the officer said, dismissing him.  
  
One of George's co-workers watched the exchange between George and the officers with suspicion. George had disappeared that morning for a long time. He came back almost an hour later with no reasonable explanation of his whereabouts. And George's behavior over the past few months had been grist for the rumor mill at work. It had all started when his wife left him earlier in the year. The co-worker was debating on whether to voice his suspicions to the police. He'd never known George to be violent. Strange, yes, but there was no law against that.  
  
  
  
The ten minutes an hour rule was beginning to wear on Mike. He couldn't believe how vigilant the hospital staff was about enforcing it. By that night, he'd drunk what seemed like a gallon of coffee. Dr. Mueller advised him to go back to the hotel and get some rest. He told Mike he didn't think Jill would reach any level of consciousness until the next morning.  
  
"The doctor's right, Danko," Ryker told him. "You're not going to do her any good if you end up in here, too. Let's go back to the hotel and come back early in the morning."  
  
"Okay. Just let me check on her one more time, then we'll go," Mike suggested. Mike slipped into the darkened ICU cubicle and sat down in a chair by the side of her bed. "Babe, they're telling me they want me to go get some sleep. I can't very well fight the doctor and Ryker, too, so I'm going to go, but I'll be back first thing in the morning. I love you so much."  
  
He kissed her lightly on the forehead and was heading for the door when he heard a slight moan. "Babe?" He asked anxiously. "Can you hear me?"  
  
Jill stirred slightly and grimaced from the pain. Her arms felt like they were tied to bricks. "Why...why are my arms tied down?"  
  
"Your arms aren't tied down. Your hands and arms were cut up pretty badly," he answered quietly, sitting back down.  
  
"Tell them...tell...untie me. I don't like...restraints," she mumbled.  
  
"Baby..."  
  
"Tell them, Mike," she pleaded, louder this time.  
  
"Okay. I'll tell them. Relax and let me go get somebody to untie you," Mike answered, going to the door and summoning the doctor. "She thinks she's been restrained. I tried to tell her that isn't the case but she doesn't believe me."  
  
"A lot of that's the morphine. She's not going to be terribly lucid as long as she's on it." The doctor went to Jill's side and studied her closely. "Mrs. Danko, I'm Dr. Mueller. Can you hear me? Do you know where you are?"  
  
"Hospital," she slurred.  
  
"That's right. How are you feeling?" Mueller asked, shining a light in her eyes.  
  
"Tired," she mumbled, fighting the urge to go back to sleep.  
  
"That's okay. You're going to feel sleepy for a while. Go ahead and go back to sleep and I'll send someone in to give you something for pain," he told her. He motioned for Mike to come outside and they walked out of the room. Once they were outside Mueller said, "I'll have the nurse give her a shot.. She should sleep until morning. I suggest you go and do the same."  
  
Mike nodded silently as Ryker guided him toward the elevator, followed by Willie and Terry. Mike leaned against the back wall of the elevator wearily as it made its descent to the lobby.  
  
"Give me your keys, Danko, and I'll drive us back to the hotel. I want to talk to the three of you, anyway," Ryker commanded.  
  
Mike silently handed Ryker the keys to the rental car and they made their way across the darkened parking lot.   
  
"I want you three to remember something," Ryker stated firmly once they were in the car.. "You're not San Antonio police officers. This case is in their jurisdiction and they will handle it. If I hear one word from anyone telling me any of you are working this case, your butt will be back on a plane to California so fast that your heads will spin. And this directive isn't only coming from me. It's coming from Chief Daniels as well. Do I make myself clear?"  
  
"Yes, sir," all three men reluctantly agreed.  
  
  
  
By the time they arrived at the hotel the detectives had all left. They got on the elevator and went upstairs to their rooms. Mike fumbled in his pocket for his key and unlocked the door. He fell across the empty bed and just lay there, staring at the ceiling. His head was pounding from exhaustion and too much caffeine, so he hunted in their suitcase for a bottle of aspirin. Instead of the aspirin bottle, his hand closed across a piece of square plastic. He pulled it out and smiled. Jill had stashed her 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' cassette in with their luggage. The cassette had been a Christmas present from the guys after repeated playing wore her album version out. He only liked one song on the tape in particular, because it reminded him so much of Jill's life, especially the last verse.  
  
In the clearing stands a boxer,  
And a fighter by his trade  
And he carries the reminders  
Of ev'ry glove that laid him down  
And cut him till he cried out  
In his anger and his shame  
"I am leaving, I am leaving,"  
But the fighter still remains  
  
  
That seemed like all Jill had done for most of her life was fight for one thing or another, which was why Mike thought that song was so fitting, even though it was told from a strictly masculine point of view. With that thought in mind he finally fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.  
  
The next morning he ran into Willie and Terry downstairs in the coffee shop. Terry waved him into an empty seat. "Ryker has a meeting with Chief Daniels about what's going to happen now," Terry said. "By the way, we heard that one of the bellhops found Jill's purse. The lab is dusting it for prints, but they said it doesn't look like anything was taken."  
  
"Well, I'm going to go up to the hospital. I called a little while ago to check on her and they told me she didn't have a good night, whatever that's supposed to mean. Maybe I can con someone into letting me stay up there," Mike sighed as he stood up.  
  
"Why? So you can end up there, too?" Terry chastised him.  
  
"I'm going to do what I have to do," Mike stated in a tight voice.  
  
  
  
When Mike arrived at the hospital a short time later, there was a flurry of activity outside of Jill's ICU room. He stood out in the hallway waiting for someone to come out and tell him what was going on. The door finally opened and a doctor and three nurses came walking out.  
  
Mike approached them. "Doctor, excuse me. What's going on with my wife?"  
  
"Mr. Danko, let's go somewhere where we can talk," the doctor led Mike over to a waiting area where they both sat down. "I'm Dr. Rivera. I was called in this morning by Dr. Mueller. Your wife was having severe bouts of nausea and vomiting and I was called in to try to rule out the cause. I've started her on compazine to relieve the nausea, but I want to monitor her for signs of possible liver damage."  
  
"What if there is liver damage?" Mike asked in trepidation.  
  
"I can start her on more medications to fight it, but if it gets too severe she could die," the doctor said quietly.   
  
"How's she doing right now?" Mike asked tonelessly, digesting what the doctor was telling him.  
  
"Right now, she's stable. You can go in to see her, if you'd like," the doctor told him.  
  
Mike quietly walked into the ICU unit and pulled up a chair. He noticed they had changed the bandages on her hands, so at least the tops of her fingers were visible now. He lightly put his hand over her fingers.   
  
She stirred slightly and opened her eyes, forcing a smile when she saw him. "Hi," she whispered.  
  
"Hi, yourself," he smiled back. "I heard you weren't feeling so hot."  
  
"I couldn't stop throwing up. They came in and gave me something. Now, I'm just tired. Did they catch him?" Jill mumbled, fighting to stay awake.  
  
"Not yet, but we'll talk about that later," he promised her.  
  
"Mike, the hotel," she slurred as her eyes drifted closed.  
  
"Don't worry about the hotel," he said as her breathing evened out and she fell asleep.  
  
  
  
Back at the hotel Richard and his partner walked into the coffee shop looking for Terry and Willie. They sat down without being asked. Terry looked at them with more than a hint of irritation.  
  
"I was looking for you guys," Richard explained. "You remember my partner, Jack Griffith, don't you? The lab just finished dusting Mrs. Danko's purse for prints. I've got good news and bad news. The good news is they only got good prints on two people."  
  
"So, what's the bad news?" Willie asked, taking a sip of his coffee.  
  
"The bad news is one of the prints belongs to the bellhop who found her purse," Richard concluded.  
  
"Did anybody talk to this guy?" Willie asked.  
  
"I don't know. I'm not a detective," Richard said sarcastically.  
  
"Maybe we should talk to him," Willie suggested, looking at Terry curiously.  
  
"And let Ryker hand us our heads on a platter? No, thank you," Terry demurred.  
  
"Come on, Terry. What harm is it going to be to just question the guy? Just to see what his story is. Richard and Jack can tag along, so at least we'll have San Antonio cops with us," Willie begged.  
  
"If your Lt. Ryker is anything like our lieutenant, this isn't going to be very pleasant if we get in trouble," Jack told the two cops.  
  
"Who's going to get in trouble?" Willie corrected quickly. "We just want to talk to the guy, that's all. Mike and Jill are friends of ours. They deserve to know what happened."  
  
"Okay, but let us do the talking," Richard advised as the four of them got up from the table.  
  
  
George was at the front desk when the four men walked out of the coffee shop. Something about the way the two in street clothes approached him made him uneasy.  
  
"Are you George Taylor?" Terry asked him bluntly.  
  
"Yes, sir. How can I help you?" George asked, forcing a smile.  
  
"We want to ask you a few questions," Willie answered.  
  
George slowly started backing away from the men before he suddenly turned and ran for the front door.  
  
"Jack, take the back! I'll go this way!" Richard yelled as he ran after George.  
  
Willie and Terry stood at the desk for about a second before they took off after George also. Terry ran fast enough to almost catch up with George on the riverwalk. They were running, dodging chairs, potted plants and waiters in the process. Terry finally caught up with George by grabbing him by his shirt, which threw both men off balance and they tumbled into the river. Richard, Jack and Willie ran up as Terry was hauling George out of the river by his shirt collar. A small crowd of tourists had gathered to watch the excitement.  
  
"Why'd you run, George?" Richard demanded, snapping a pair of handcuffs to George's wrists.  
  
"You guys scared me. I haven't done anything wrong," George whined as they led him passed the tourists.  
  
About half an hour later, the four men found themselves standing in front of Lt. John Ackerman's desk, the immediate superior of Officers' Garza and Griffith. Terry was still in his soaking wet clothes and was standing there, shivering. Lt. Ackerman had called Lt. Ryker and Chief Daniels and was waiting for them to arrive. Willie and Terry cringed when they heard a knock on the office door.  
  
"Come!" Lt. Ackerman shouted.  
  
Ryker and Daniels entered the room. When Ryker walked past Willie and Terry, he just glared at them.  
  
"What's going on?" Chief Daniels asked.  
  
"It seems these four have been playing amateur detectives in their spare time. Lt. Ryker, didn't you explain to your men that they weren't to get involved in this case?" Lt. Ackerman demanded furiously, glaring at Ryker.  
  
"Yes, I did," Ryker replied calmly.  
  
"Sir, if we can explain-" Terry began.  
  
"Save it, Webster. Just so you know, we've released Mr. Taylor from custody. I want you two to go back to your hotel, pack your bags and be on the next plane back to L.A. Do I make myself clear?" Lt. Ackerman asked.  
  
"Sir, may we ask why you released Mr. Taylor? His prints were all over Mrs. Danko's handbag?" Richard inquired.  
  
"We released him, Officer Garza, because he isn't a suspect. When and if he becomes one the detectives will take him into police custody. As for you and your partner, you're assigned to traffic duty in front of the courthouse. Effective immediately. Now, get out of my office," Lt. Ackerman pointed toward the door.  
  
"Yes, sir," Richard looked first at Willie and Terry, then at his partner before they left the room.  
  
"Sir, Jill...I mean, Mrs. Danko, is a friend of ours. We'd like to stick around until her condition improves," Terry explained.  
  
"Lieutenant, you might want to explain to Officer Webster here the futility in arguing with a senior officer," Lt. Ackerman said through gritted teeth.  
  
"I will. On the way back to the hotel," Ryker snapped furiously, glaring at the two men as they left the room.  
  
Ryker didn't say another word until they arrived back in Willie and Terry's room at the hotel. He slammed the door closed as they entered the room. "I believe I specifically told the three of you not to get involved in this case! I didn't tell you two to chase a man down the San Antonio River! Now, I believe you've been told to pack and get on a plane back to L.A. I suggest you do just that," Ryker said as he walked toward the door.  
  
"Sir, can we please see Jill and Mike before we go back," Willie pleaded.  
  
"Get your things together and I'll take you to the hospital," Ryker snapped tersely as he left the room.  
  
  
  
Jill had started running a temperature later that morning. Doctors had been coming and going from her room all morning running all kinds of tests. One of them finally came out to talk to Mike.  
  
"Mr. Danko, I'm Dr. Anderson. Your wife's going to be okay. We've checked the liver enzyme tests and the x-rays. There isn't any blockage and no sign of infection. We'll continue monitoring her, but I think it's safe to move her from ICU," the doctor concluded.  
  
"If everything checks out, why's she running a fever?" Mike asked nervously.  
  
"It's normal to run a temperature after surgery. It'll break soon," the doctor reassured him.  
  
"You said something about moving her from ICU. When will you do that?" Mike asked.  
  
"We can do it right now," the doctor told him. "We'll let you know when she's in her room."  
  
  
  
Terry slipped into Jill's room about an hour later. Mike was asleep in a chair by her bed, so Terry crept up to the bed. He brushed the hair away from her sweat soaked forehead and winced when he felt how warm she was. He picked up a damp cloth from a basin by her bed and pressed it to her forehead. She forced her eyes open and smiled when she saw Terry standing there.  
  
"Terry, hi," she whispered.  
  
"Hi," he whispered back. "Willie and I have to go back to L.A. I came in to see you before we left."  
  
"Why are you going back?" She asked him.  
  
"It's a long story. You're going to be okay. We'll see you and Mike when you get home," he promised.  
  
"Hey, man, what happened?" Mike asked, jolting awake. "Why are you guys leaving?"  
  
"It's a long story. Let's just say we've been banished from Texas," Terry stated shortly. "Let me go get Willie so he can say goodbye. Lt. Ryker is anxious to put us on a plane."  
  
"Oh, shit," Mike groaned. "You guys screwed up?"  
  
"You could say that," Terry said, walking to the door and beckoning Willie inside.  
  
"Two minutes, Gillis," Ryker warned as Willie walked into the room.  
  
Jill had dozed off again as Willie approached her bed. Between the fever and the morphine she was only staying awake for very brief periods of time.  
  
"Terry, what'd you guys do?" Mike asked anxiously.  
  
"We disobeyed an order. Richard and Jack told us about the guy who found Jill's purse. His prints were found all over it. We wanted to talk to him. He freaked out and ran. When I caught him, we both fell into the river," Willie said, glancing toward Jill.  
  
"Gross," Mike commented.   
  
"Anyway," Terry continued, looking at his watch, "we have a plane to catch. Do you have any idea how much longer she's going to be here?"  
  
"No. It could be a week, it could be three," Mike sighed.  
  
"When she wakes up, tell her we'll see you guys when you get home. Call us when you're flying out and we'll meet the plane," Terry promised, clasping Mike on the shoulder.  
  
"How? In your little two seater?" Mike asked. "I'll tell you what. Here are my keys. The parking ticket's in the glove box. Pick up my car at the airport. That way you won't have to strap one of us to the trunk. I'll reimburse you the parking money when we get home."  
  
"Forget it. What are friends for?" Terry said, taking the keys from Mike. All three men jumped when they heard a light tap on the door. "That'll be our keeper. We have to go. Call us."  
Jill jolted awake when she heard the door close. "Mike?"  
  
"It's okay, babe. The guys have to leave. Apparently, they pissed a few people off," he said as he took the chair by her bed and pressed the damp cloth to her forehead.  
  
"The hotel, Mike," she slurred again as her eyes began to close.  
  
"Baby, don't worry about the hotel. Rest now," he whispered as she fell asleep.  
  
Jill's last conscious thought before sleep reclaimed her was she had to make Mike understand what she was trying to tell him about the hotel, about the man who attacked her.  
  
Mike was sitting an hour later when there was a light tap on the door. He walked over to open it and another doctor and nurse walked in.  
  
"I'm Dr. Carson. I've come to examine your wife's hands. I want to check for tendon and nerve damage," he explained, approaching the bed.  
  
"She's sleeping right now. They've got her on morphine, so she hasn't been staying conscious for long," Mike remarked.  
  
"I don't need her conscious to check for damage, although it would help," the doctor said as he began unwrapping Jill's heavily bandaged hands.   
  
Jill winced in pain and woke up when she felt the doctor removing the bandages.  
  
"Mrs. Danko, I'm Dr. Carson. I'm a hand surgeon. Dr. Mueller asked me to come look at your hands. Can you wiggle your fingers for me?" Carson smiled as Jill barely moved her fingers. "Great! I think we'll put lighter bandages on so you can hold hands with your husband," he said, smiling at her as the nurse handed him fresh bandages. "The stitches'll have to stay in for at least another week, but I don't think there's any permanent damage. I'll advise the nurse that they can move the IV to your hand. If you have any questions or any discomfort, don't hesitate to let me know."  
  
Jill was asleep again before the bandages had been replaced, but she cried out when the nurse inserted the IV catheter into her hand.  
  
"I'll see if the doctor can order something to bring her temp back down," the nurse told Mike as she prepared to leave the room.  
  
"Thank you," Mike said gratefully as he took the chair beside Jill's bed and gently stroked the back of her right hand through the gauze.  
  
Even through the haze of drug-induced sleep, Jill could feel the comforting presence of Mike's touch but she needed more than just the touch of his hand. She struggled to open her eyes.  
  
"What's wrong?" Mike asked in a concerned voice.  
  
"Can you please sit beside me and hold me while I sleep?" She asked sleepily.  
  
"Babe, I don't want to disturb all these wires and stuff-" he protested.  
  
"Mike, please?" She pleaded weakly, forcing herself to stay awake. "You're not going to disturb anything. I need you. Please?"  
  
Mike stood up and as gingerly as possible, helped Jill move to the edge of the hospital bed, before settling down beside her. Despite the pain in her stomach and her hands, she relished just being close to him. She settled her head down on his shoulder and almost immediately fell sound asleep once again. Mike could feel the heat of her fever burning through his shirt but he couldn't reach the cold compress on the nightstand and he didn't have the heart to disturb her again. He jumped guiltily when one of the nurses entered the room several minutes later.  
  
"It's all right, Mr. Danko. I do need to check her vital signs, though," she told him in a guilty voice.  
  
"Can't it wait? Just for a little while? She's asleep and I'd hate to wake her up," he said, glancing down at Jill.  
  
"This won't take very long, then I promise you can come back in here. Besides, I've got meds to put in her IV that should bring her fever down," she told him.  
  
Mike gently laid Jill back on the bed and stepped out of the room. He was pacing outside of the room when a man approached him. The man was in his late 20's and appeared to be very nervous.  
  
"Excuse me? Are you the husband of the woman who was attacked?" The man asked.  
  
"I'm Mike Danko," Mike answered the man.  
  
"Mr. Danko, my name is David Galina. I work at the Palacio Del Rio. George Taylor's one of my co-workers. I talked to the detectives yesterday and I kind of figured someone would get back to me, especially after what happened this morning," David continued.  
  
"Look, Mr. Galina, if you have anything to say about the attack, you should be talking to local law enforcement. I'm from out of town," Mike told him.  
  
"I know. I was working yesterday when your wife left the hotel. A few minutes later, Mr. Taylor also left. He didn't come back for over an hour and when he did, he was wearing a different uniform than the one he'd been wearing when he left," David explained.  
  
"Are you sure?" Mike asked incredulously.  
  
"Yes, sir. He asked me to cover for him, but he wouldn't tell me where he was going. A few months ago, George's wife left him for another man. She was young and dark haired, like your wife. George didn't take her leaving very well. He was pretty obsessive about her. I heard that she finally had to get a restraining order before he'd leave her alone," David concluded.  
  
"Look, you need to go to the police and tell them what you just told me. Give them a home address on this George person, if you can," Mike said.  
  
  
  
After the nurse had left Mike returned to Jill's room and resumed his position beside her on the bed. He was sitting there, holding her against him when Richard and Jack walked in.  
  
"Can we come in?" Richard asked in a whisper.  
  
"That's kind of a stupid question now, seeing as how you're already in here," Mike said sarcastically.  
  
"I'm sorry. We just wanted to let you know that the detectives picked up George Taylor. They got a search warrant for his apartment and found his bloody uniform. They didn't find the knife, but they figure he might've ditched it," Jack said.  
  
"Does Lt. Ryker know?" Mike asked tonelessly.  
  
"Yeah, our lieutenant filled him in. I'm sorry your friends got in so much trouble," Jack offered.  
  
"Yeah, me, too. They were just looking out for a friend. Thanks for telling me about George. I appreciate it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd really just like to be alone with my wife," Mike said, indicating the conversation was over.  
  
"Sure. Take it easy, Mike," Richard said as they walked to the door.  
  
Mike tightened his grip on Jill when the two men left the room. She stirred slightly and opened her eyes to look at him.  
  
"'tried to tell you that he worked at the hotel," she murmured sleepily.  
  
"I'm sorry," he whispered to her.  
  
"Mike, I really want to go home," she continued weakly.  
  
I know, babe. We'll go home in a few days. As soon as you're well enough to travel, we'll go home," he promised as he stroked her hair gently.  
  
  
  
Two days later Terry and Willie reported to Ryker's office for their inquisition. Ryker yelled at them to come in when they knocked on his door.  
  
"I'm going to make this short and to the point, because I'm really not in the mood for any debates. So you two stand there and listen and I'll do the talking. Under ordinary circumstances, you'd both be finding yourself facing disciplinary action. You disobeyed a direct order. I know why you did it, but it doesn't change the fact that I told all three of you not to get involved. Mrs. Danko's attack was under the jurisdiction of the San Antonio police. I've spoken to Lt. Ackerman and Chief Daniels. George Taylor has confessed to the attack on Mrs. Danko so they're willing to forget about this whole ordeal. I also spoke to Danko this morning. He said Mrs. Danko is expected to be released from the hospital in two or three days, but the doctor won't release her to travel for at least another week. She isn't too happy about this, as Danko told me, but they're going to make the best of the situation," Ryker concluded, looking at both men.  
  
"Sir, can I ask how they found out it was Taylor?" Terry asked curiously.  
  
"One of his co-workers talked to the police. He raised enough suspicions so they obtained a search warrant. They found a bloody uniform and other things in his apartment. Then, yesterday, they went back to the scene of the attack and found the knife he used. Now, if there's nothing else, you two are going to be late for muster," Ryker said, pointing toward his door.  
  
"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir," Willie said as he and Terry left the room.  
  
PART FOUR  
  
Just over a week later, Mike and Jill were sitting in the boarding area of San Antonio International Airport, waiting for their flight back to L.A. to be called. Except for dark circles under her eyes, Jill looked much better than she had a week earlier. The doctor had removed the stitches from her hands the day before and except for some stiffness, which she was assured would pass, they felt great.  
  
When they boarded the plane Mike grabbed a blanket from one of the overhead bins and wrapped it around Jill when they took their seats.  
  
"Mike, what're you doing? I'm not cold," she protested as he wrapped her in the small blanket.  
  
"I know, I just don't want you getting sick," he answered as he gently kissed her.  
  
  
  
Terry and Willie were anxiously waiting at the gate for Mike and Jill's plane to land. Terry waved when he saw them walking down the ramp. Jill hugged them both happily before grabbing Mike's hand once again.  
  
"Welcome home!" Terry exclaimed as she hugged him. "Let's get your bags and we'll head home."  
  
When they walked out of the terminal into the bright Los Angeles sunshine, Jill took a deep breath.  
  
"Happy to be home?" Mike asked, squeezing her hand.  
  
"Happy to be home. I'm even happy to be breathing the smog. I just want to let you know that I'm never leaving California again," she vowed, kissing him.  
  
"Then let's go home," Mike grinned, as they walked toward the car.  
  
THE END  
  



End file.
